Experiences with Flash Design
This presentation gives background on the concept of the LAUNCH MELT Flash Design and a comparison between the LAUNCH MELT Flash Design, the LAUNCH MELT Pool Condenser & Pool Reactor Designs (former Urea 2000+) and the other energy saving concept, the LAUNCH MELT Ultra-Low Energy Design.
Topic
As energy consumption of urea plants is becoming increasingly important, Stamicarbon introduced two new concepts over the past few years: the LAUNCH MELT Flash Design (former Adiabatic Flash concept) and the LAUNCH MELT Ultra-Low Energy Design (previously known as 5xx).
The LAUNCH MELT Flash Design has been introduced in the market by Stamicarbon several years ago. It makes use of an in-line adiabatic flash stage that is located in between the High Pressure (HP) Stripper in the synthesis section and the Low Pressure (LP) recirculation section. This adiabatic flash step makes it possible to optimize the HP extraction steam consumption of the plant by reducing the stripping efficiency in the synthesis without overloading the downstream sections. Furthermore, the adiabatic flash step contains a heat integration between the carbamate condensation and the (pre-)evaporation section of the plant. This heat integration significantly reduces the LP steam demand of the evaporation section. Also, this heat integration makes it possible to achieve urea concentrations in the urea solution tank of over 80% by weight. By now, several plants with this concept are in operation, all reaching their respective design guarantees.
This paper gives some background on the concept of the LAUNCH MELT Flash Design and a comparison between the LAUNCH MELT Flash Design, the LAUNCH MELT Pool Condenser & Pool Reactor Designs (former Urea 2000+) and the other energy saving concept, the LAUNCH MELT Ultra-Low Energy Design. From this comparison it can be observed that the LAUNCH MELT Flash Design is more energy efficient than the previous standard: the LAUNCH MELT Pool Condenser and Pool Reactor Designs. However, the LAUNCH MELT Ultra-Low Energy Design has a significantly lower energy consumption than the LAUNCH MELT Flash Design. Based on investment cost, the LAUNCH MELT Flash Design is the most economical concept due to the low amount of HP equipment and the simplicity of the design.
About Paul Meijboom
After getting his Bachelor in Chemical Engineering in Eindhoven, Paul worked for several years as a production leader and process engineer in the surface treatment industry. After this, he joined Stamicarbon as a process control engineer. Since 6 years, Paul is in his current function as process engineer in the Evolve team, mainly involved in revamping urea plants.